Roofing-cutter.



c. c. NERNESS ROOFING CUTTER.

APPLICATION FlLED JULY 12, I918.

Patented Apr. 29, 1919.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

W/C N6/"l1 as s Elma/whom C. C. NERNESS.

} ROOFING CUTTER.

APPLICATION FILED IuLv 12. ms.

Patented Apr; 29, 1919.

3 SHEETS-SHEET Z.

m5 NORRIS Pawns m, Imam uruo WASHING mu. 0. c.

C. C. NERNESS.

ROOFING CUTTER.

APPLICATION FILED JULY12. 191s.

Patented Apr. 29, 1919.

3 SHEETSSHET 3.

CARL G. NERNESS, OMAHA, NEBRASKA.

ROOFING-CUTTER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Apr. 29, T9199.

Application filed July 12, 1918. Serial No. 244,569.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, CARL C. NERNESS, a citizen of the United States,residing at Omaha, in the county of Douglas and State of Nebraska, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Roofing-Cutters, ofwhich the following is a specification.

This invention relates to sheet cutting machines, and more particularlyto an improved roofing cutter. 7

The object of the invention is to provide an improved machine forcutting sheet material used for roofing purposes, and more particularlycompositions, such as asbestos and rubber composition roofings or thelike, into sultable designs for roofing and ornamenting purposes.

A further object of the invention is to obviate the necessity of cuttingroofing material with shears, knives, or chisels and to provide amachine which is designed to hold a roll of the material and to pass thesame through rollers, certain of which are provided with means forcutting the material, and additional means being provided to rewind theentire strip to produce a roll, the machine being driven by hand poweror otherwise and having novel means for cooperating with the cutters toprevent gumming of the same.

With the above and other objects in view, as will appear as thedescription proceeds, the invention comprises the various novel featuresof construction and arrangement of parts which will be more fullydescribed herein and set forth with particularity in the claims appendedhereto. 7

Reference is had to the accompanying drawings forming a part of thisapplication, in which like reference characters indi cate thecorresponding parts throughout the several views, in which Figure 1 is aside elevation of my improved roofing cutter,

Fig. 2 is a plan view thereof,

Fig. 3 is a longitudinal sectional view,

Figgi is a transverse sectional view taken through the winding drum, theparts being shown enlarged,

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary perspective view showing the ornamental cutterblades on one of the cutting rollers, and

Fig. 6 is a fragmentary plan view of a portion of roofing as cut by themachine.

Referring to the drawings in detail, my improved roofing cutter is shownas comprising an elongated rectangular frame 10 including side portions11 and end portions 12 supported upon corner legs 13 suitably braced tothe frame by means of diagonal braces 14, two of which are provided oneach side and on each end, so as to provide a firm supporting structure.

Arranged at one end of the frame and at opposite sides thereof, areuprights 15, suitably braced as shown at 16 and formed with orseparately from the adjacent leg portions 13, as desired. Thesestandards are designed to rotatably support a horizontal shaft 17 uponwhich are mounted inwardly tapered or wedge-like spools 18, in order toaccommodate a roll 19 of roofing material, usually consisting of a stripof asbestos, rubber, or other composition material commonly employed forroofing or like purposes, although it, is to be understood that themachine is capable of adaptation to cutting sheet material in general.

Journale'd transversely of the frame in re cesses or bearings providedin the opposed side portions 11 and in spaced parallel relation are aseries of lower rollers, including a roller 20, the shaft of which isdesignated at 21, a cutting roller 22 having a corresponding shaft,another smooth roller 23, and a final cutting roller 24:, the latter tworollers being mounted upon similar shafts j ournaled in the sideportions of the frame, as is particularly shown in Fig. 1.

Arranged over each of said rollers and the shafts thereof. are aplurality of opposed uprights 25 having slotted bearings 26 receivingthe journaled ends of shafts 27 of an upper series of smooth rollers 28.which serve as compression rollers. For this purpose the shafts 27 ofthe rollers 28 are held resiliently and forcibly in contact with thelower series of rollers through the medium of springs or like means 29mounted in the slotted bearings and being capable of adjustment intension through the medium of adjusting screws 30 engaged throughtransverse strips 31 connecting opposed pairs of uprights or standardsthrough the medium of the slots therein, and hold the same equidistantlvspaced apart. These strips are provided with vertically grooved endportions receiving the opposed sides of the bearings at the slots abovethe springs 29 so that the tension of the springs can be adjusted asspecified.

The rollers 20 and 23 are smooth, and all of the lower series of rollersare provided with flanges 32 adapted to limit the sidewise displacementof the strip of roofing material, as the latter is fed from the rollmounted upon the feeding shaft or roller. The rollers 20 and 23 aresmooth, while the roller 22 is designed to carry the cutting blades 33conforming to the design which it is desired to produce. As shown, theseblades are arranged in pairs of V-shaped form, the cutting edges 34thereof being flanged outwardly, and two of said blades being fittedtogether to completely encircle the roller and detachably securedthereto by suitable fastening means, which may consist of screws 35, sothat the blades can be removed and new ones applied to produce differentcutting effects or designs. As shown, two of such cutting elements areprovided in spaced relation to the center of the roller 22 andintermediately and on opposite sides of said cutting elements, rubberbands 36, preferably three, are provided to keep the strip or roofingsheeting even with the cutters.

The roller 24 is provided intermediately of its ends with a centralcircular cutting blade 37 designed to cut or split the stripslongitudinally along the line 38 in the illustration of the materialshown in Fig. 6 of the drawings. The cutters 33 form the zigzag out, asshown at 39 in Fig. 6, this effect being produced on opposite sides ofthe central cut 38, although it is to be understood that the design ofthe out instead of being V-shaped in outline, may be scalloped, curved,or otherwise, and that the incisions may be broad or narrow, accordingto the design to be produced. A plurality of rubber rings or hands 40are also provided upon the roller 24, preferably two, on each side ofthe cutter 37, also for the purpose of keeping the roofing material orstrip even with the cutter, so that the cutting will also always takeplace equidistantly of the side edges of the strip. Disposed adjacent toeach of the rollers 22 and 24, are transverse shafts 41, each carryingbrushes 42 adjacent to each cutter or cutting blade, and designed to dipinto pans 43 containing soapsuds or other suitable liquid, forpreventing the cutter from getting gummy, due to the adhesion of thematerial of the strip or roofing material thereto. These brushes,together with the shaft thereof, are obviously rotated as the rollers 22and 24 are rotated during the cutting operation, which will behereinafter more fully set forth.

In order to rotate the various rollers for the purpose of transmittingthe strip 19 through the machine, intermeshing gears 44 are providedupon the shafts of the various rollers and intermediate shafts 21 at oneside of the frame, opposite to that adjacent the ends of the rollers, onwhich the flanges 32 are provided and transversely of the frame there isprovided a drive shaft 45 having an operating handle 46 constitutingmeans for turning the shaft whereby to drive the rollers through themedium of a gear wheel 47 mounted on the shaft 45 and mesh ing with theadjacent gear wheels 44 of the rollers 22 and 23. In operation, theshaft 45 may be suitably rotated by any other means than the handle 46,and is rotated in the direction indicated by the arrow shown in Fig. 1of the drawings, so as to transmit the strip through the machine cut asdescribed and shown in connection with Fig. 6 of the drawings.

At the rear of the machine, a winding drum or roller 48 is provided,said roller being mounted in the uprights at that end, through themedium of a shaft 49, the drum being mounted on a tubular shaft 50rotatable on the shaft 49, the shaft 49 having a friction disk 51 at oneend normally pressed against a disk 52 fixed to the adjacent end of thetubular shaft 50, as by means of an adjustable coil spring 53, andconstituting a clutch member so as to operatively connect the shafts torotate as one, and thereby impart rotation to the drum or roller 48 forthe purpose of winding the strip thereon. This means also furnishes aclutch by which the drum or roller will slip as the winding operation iscontinued, and the roll becomes larger thereby taking up more materialduring the cutting operation. In order to rotate the drum a sprocketwheel 54 is fixed to the opposite end of the shafts 49, preferably onthe near side and on the same side on which the gear wheels areprovided, the shaft 21 of the roller 24 also having a sprocket wheel 55fixed thereto, while engaged around the sprocket wheels is an endlessdrive chain 56, so that when the rollers are operated, the winding drumor roller will be rotated from the roller 24.

From the foregoing description taken in connection with the accompanyingdrawings, it is thought that a clear and comprehensive understanding ofthe construction, operation, and advantages of my invention may be had,and while I have shown and described the device as embodying a specificstructure, I desire that it be understood that such changes may be madein said structure as do not depart from the spirit and scope of theinvention as claimed.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is:

1. A cutting machine of the class described, comprising a frame, aseries of rollers journaled in the frame, cutters carried by alternaterollers, the cutters of one roller being spaced apart to cut a fancifulconfiguration at either side of the center and the other cutter servingto sever the strip at the center, compression means coacting with saidrollers, a feeding shaft adapted to receive a roll of strip material tobe out, said strip passing between said rollers, a winding drum for saidstrip, means on the rollers carrying the cutters to guide the stripsuniformly and including rings of elastic material on either side of eachcutter, means to prevent endwise displacement of the strip, intergeareddrive connections between said rollers, a drive shaft for rotating saidrollers and drum, cleaning means for said cutters, said cutters beingdetachably secured to the rollers and means to permit slippage of thewinding drum upon the diameter of the roll increasing thereon.

2. In a roofing cutter, a supporting frame, bracing means for saidframe, slotted uprights arranged upon the frame, compression rollersadjustably mounted therein, other rollers journaled in the frame inspaced parallel relation beneath the first mentioned rollers, gearscooperating with said rollers and disposed in mesh whereby the rollerswill operate simultaneously, means for rotating said rollers, spaceddesign cutting members arranged upon one of said rollers, a splittingcutter arranged upon another of said rollers, rubber guiding meansarranged upon said rollers carrying the cutters, brushes for cleaningsaid cutters for preventing gumming thereof, moistening means for saidbrushes, a feeding shaft to carry the roll of strip material to be cut,a winding drum, operative connections between the winding drum and oneof said rollers, said Winding drum being rotatably supported at theopposite end of the machine with respect to the position of the feedingshaft, and friction clutch means cooperating with the winding drum andthe drive mechanism thereof to permit the drum to slip as the materialis wound thereon and the diameter of the roll increases.

3. In a roofing cutter, a supporting frame, bracing means for saidframe, slotted uprights arranged upon the frame, compression rollersadjustably mounted therein, other rollers journaled in the frame inspaced parallel relation beneath the first mentioned rollers, gearscooperating with said rollers and disposed in mesh whereby the rollerswill operate simultaneously, means for rotating said rollers, spaceddesign cutting membersarranged upon one of said rollers, a splittingcutter arranged upon another of said rollers, rubber guiding meansarranged upon said rollers carrying the cutters, brushes for cleaningsaid cutters for preventing gumming thereof, moistening means for saidbrushes, a feeding shaft to carry the roll of strip material to be cut,a winding drum, operative connections between the winding drum and oneof said rollers, said winding drum being'rotatably supported at theopposite end of the machine with respect to the position of the feedingshaft, a shaft rotatably supporting the drum, a tubular shaft on thefirst mentioned shaft, friction disks fixed to said shaft and engagingwith each other, and means to cause frictional engagement of said disksand to permit slipping thereof one with respect to the other whereby therotation of the drum will be retarded during the Winding of the stripthereon as out.

In testimony whereof, I affix my signature hereto.

CARL C. NERNESS.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. G.

